Weekend Box Office: November 16-18

Courtesy of Box Office Mojo:

1.  The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 - $141.3 million

2.  Skyfall - $41.5 million

3.  Lincoln - $21 million

4.  Wreck-It Ralph - $18.3 million

5.  Flight - $8.6 million

6.  Argo - $4 million

7.  Taken 2 - $2.1 million

8.  Pitch Perfect - $1.26 million

9.  Here Comes the Boom - $1.2 million

10.  Cloud Atlas/The Sessions/Hotel Transylvania - $900,000

The box office report is back!  No thanks to Hurricane Sandy, for playing all kinds of havoc with the power and internet access these last few weeks.  So we've definitely got some catching up to do.

First things first:  the final Twilight film, Breaking Dawn Part 2, opened big this weekend with an estimated $141.3 million.  No, it's not a *record*...but who's going to gripe about $141.3 million?  The opening falls right in between Breaking Dawn Part 1's $138.1 million opening last year, and New Moon's $142.8 million opening in 2009.  Overseas, Breaking Dawn Part 2 has earned nearly $200 million already, bringing its worldwide total to $340 million and climbing, with the long holiday weekend coming up this week.  Whether you like the Twilight series or not, there's no denying that its been a powerhouse at the box office.

Catching up with James Bond, Skyfall racked up another $41.5 million in its second weekend, bringing its domestic total up to $161.3 million.  Overseas, the latest 007 film has been a massive blockbuster, earning $507 million in foreign markets so far.  Back here, Skyfall is within a few days of passing Quantum of Solace and Casino Royale to become the highest-grossing James Bond film domestically.  And deservedly so - it was awesome. 

Also catching up Wreck-It Ralph, which has been a nice hit for Disney, the animated video-game adventure crossed the $100 million mark this week, earning $18.3 million in its third weekend.  With excellent word-of-mouth, it should be able to hold its own against Rise of the Guardians, which opens in theaters next weekend.

Amongst movies brave enough to open against Twilight this weekend, Steven Spielberg's Lincoln expanded into wide release well with $21 million.  In limited release, Silver Linings Playbook opened with $458,000 and Anna Karenina with $315,000 - both in just 16 theaters apiece.

Lots of new choices coming up for the long holiday weekend, including:  Life of Pi, Rise of the Guardians, Red Dawn, and Hitchcock.  Happy Thanksgiving!